Team Gender Research Articles

The evolution of pediatric transgender healthcare in Flanders: Trends in referrals, intakes and gender-affirming interventions over the last 15 years

Purpose The expanding number of minors questioning their gender identity and seeking care has led to the constitution of pediatric gender clinics in several countries. The activity of the multidisciplinary Pediatric Gender Team at Ghent University Hospital, Belgium started in 2007. We report on the evolution of referrals, psychological intakes, and trends in the start of gender-affirming medical and surgical interventions from 2007 to 2023. Methods The whole cohort of minors (age <17 years) having a psychological intake between 2007 and 2023 was included. Subgroups were analyzed based on sex registered at birth (female or male, RFAB and RMAB respectively), year and age at the psychological intake (below or above 10 years). Results Referrals have increased in recent years. Between 2007 and 2023, 890 minors (65.5% RFAB) accessed our service. The ratio RFAB/RMAB has progressively increased, and RFAB with age at first intake >10 represented the greatest proportion. After 12 months, 19.5% were no longer in follow-up at our center; 28.1% of RFAB and 47.2% of RMAB did not start any medical treatment; 66.9% of RFAB and 52.8% of RMAB started gonadal hormone suppression (GHS), achieved with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues in 17.7% of RFAB and 34.6% of RMAB, with pro-androgenic progestins in 82.3% of RFAB and with anti-androgens in 65.4% of RMAB. 74.6% of RFAB and 86.4% of RMAB on GHS and older than 16 started gender-affirming hormones. Mastectomy was the most common gender-affirming surgery in RFAB, followed by hystero-gonadectomy. Gender-affirming surgery in RMAB was less frequent; vaginoplasty was the most frequent procedure. Conclusions The care of minors with gender incongruence requires a multidisciplinary approach due to the complex psychological, social, and physical needs of this group. The timing and therapeutical options must be tailored to each adolescent.

Equity360: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity-CMS TEAM and the Elusive Goal of Health Equity.

Equity360: Gender, Race, and Ethnicity-CMS TEAM and the Elusive Goal of Health Equity.

Shattering the glass ceiling: The unseen impact of gender diversity on financial transparency

This bibliometric analysis explores the relationship between financial reporting quality and top management team gender diversity within the field of management and business. A total of 395 journal articles related to financial reporting quality from 2003 to 2020 were reviewed. Utilizing ‘biblioshiny’, a web interface of the ‘bibliometric 3.0’ package in R-Studio, this study conducted a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and visualization. The research examines key sources, influential authors, countries, and thematic trends through co-occurrence network analysis and thematic mapping. By applying Bradford’s Law, core sources and publications are categorized based on output, distinguishing high-production from low-production sources. The findings highlight the increasing importance of gender diversity in top management teams and its positive impact on corporate governance and financial transparency. The presence of women in leadership roles fosters ethical behavior, reduces earnings manipulation, and enhances the overall quality of financial reporting. This analysis also reveals a strong connection between gender diversity and financial reporting quality, indicating that diverse leadership improves corporate governance practices. The study provides a foundation for future research, offering insights into key trends and research streams, and encourages further investigation into the impact of diverse leadership on financial outcomes across various organizational contexts.

Women are awarded more team than solo grants and lead more gender-balanced teams than men

Abstract We modelled patterns of collaboration, team gender composition, and funding amounts across awarded Australian government-funded competitive team research grants from 2000 to 2020. The percentage of grants awarded to women at mid- and senior-career levels was higher for team grants than sole investigator grants compared to men at those levels. Teams led by women tended to have a greater percentage of women coinvestigators than teams led by men, but this was below gender parity regardless of team leader gender. Funding amounts per grant did not differ by the principal investigator’s gender and reached parity in 2020 across teams with both high and low representation of women. Since teams tend to be more gender-balanced when led by women, women’s grant leadership may be an important mechanism for shifting overall representation of women in research. We offer public policy measures to address gender inequities in the research sector.

Gender diversity in top management team and corporate social responsibility performance: examining the moderating nature of TMT international experience

Purpose This study is based on the role congruity theory that examines the association between top management team (TMT) gender diversity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses data from the Taiwan Economic Journal database and the Market Observation Post System provided by the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The sample consists of 4,140 annual observations of Taiwanese-listed companies in the electronics industry from 2016–2020. Findings The results revealed that TMT gender diversity is positively associated with CSR performance, and TMT international experience strengthens the positive association between TMT gender diversity and CSR performance. Practical implications CSR is imperative. The TMT’s gender diversity aligns with current environmental trends and social expectations, driven for CSR implementation essential. This diverse configuration enables the TMTs to address corporate adaptability and maintain global competitiveness. Originality/value The findings contribute significantly to the literature on TMT gender diversity by extending the application of role congruity theory beyond individual to team-level contexts and across gender boundaries. By incorporating diverse capabilities such as international experience within TMTs, the authors identify key boundary conditions that foster CSR. This expansion not only aligns with practical realities but also opens new avenues for research into the dynamics of diverse management teams.

Exploring the impact of corporate entrepreneurship on organizational performance in the ICT companies of Jordan: The moderating role of gender-diverse leadership

This study focuses on addressing challenges faced by Jordanian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) organizations, aiming to explore solutions for sector sustainability amid troubling economic conditions. Specifically, it investigates the impacts of Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) and Top Management Team Gender Diversity (TMTGD) on the performance of these organizations. Furthermore, it also examines the moderating role of TMTGD within this context. To achieve these objectives, the study collects data from 300 employees considered part of the top management teams within Jordan's ICT sector. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), the study estimated both measurement and structural models to thoroughly examine the data and proposed relationships. The findings indicate that CE and TMTGD have positive and statistically significant effects on organizational performance. However, the study also uncovers a nuanced pattern of interaction between these variables. Explicitly, it suggests that the presence of gender diversity within top management teams may attenuate the otherwise positive impact of CE on organizational performance. Hence, this research suggests that ICT companies should actively cultivate a corporate entrepreneurship culture to elevate their organizational performance. Furthermore, policymakers and leaders are encouraged to initiate training and educational programs addressing gender dynamics and biases with the goal of fostering a more inclusive and equitable workplace.

Top management team gender diversity and power dynamics in times of change

Abstract Extant research examining the effects of top management team (TMT) gender diversity on firm performance report equivocal findings. We seek to enhance understanding of this critical relationship in the context of an acquisition, which necessitates changes in one or both firms during a process characterized by non-routine decisions, time pressures, high uncertainty, and frequent debates among strategic leaders. Specifically, we examine the effects of gender diversity of top management and female executives’ formal and informal power on post-deal performance. Our results indicate gender diversity has negative effects on post-deal performance. Further, in a subsample of acquirers with gender diverse teams, our results reveal that female executives’ structural power and ownership power have negative performance effects, while power conferred through an elite education has positive performance effects. Our findings highlight the need to expand gender diversity research to consider the strategic context facing diverse TMTs and power dynamics among them.

Women in C-suite: Does Top Management Team gender diversity matter? Evidence from firm investment efficiency

Firms with relatively more female executives in their top management team exhibit superior investment efficiency. Economically, female non-CEO executives increase investment efficiency by almost 11 % of the cross-sectional mean of our investment efficiency measure. Further analysis shows that this increase in efficiency is driven by the reduction in both overinvestment and underinvestment. In addition, efficiency is more pronounced in less competitive markets, during industry shock periods, and in firms with less competent or outsider CEOs. Our findings highlight that women in C-suite play a significant positive role in effective investment decision-making.

Female CEOs’ name gender-neutralization and audit fees: Evidence from China

We focus on how inconsistency or conflict between actual biological sex and name gender-orientation affects CEO trustworthiness, and thus firm audit fees. This study of Chinese listed firms led by female CEOs finds that female CEOs’ name gender-neutralization significantly reduces audit fees, and the presence of female auditors mitigates the above negative relationship. Mechanism tests find that female CEOs’ name gender-neutralization reduces audit fees by adopting positive tone, enhancing TMT stability, and improving social image. Heterogeneity analysis from the perspectives of CEO and auditor traits demonstrate that when female CEOs were born before the 1970s, also serve as chairmen, and are non-family CEOs, as well as when auditors tenure is shortened, audit report time lag is decreased, and the audit team gender structure is singular, female CEOs’ name gender-neutralization reduces audit fees more significantly. We find no evidence that female CEOs with masculine or gender-neutral names perform better or worse than those with feminine names in any substantive way. Additionally, female CEOs’ name gender-neutralization does not have a consistent effect on positive and negative abnormal audit fees.

Top management team gender diversity and green innovation: A contingent curvilinear link

AbstractThe increasing significance of green innovation for firm competitiveness introduces greater risks and uncertain returns, challenging top managers' strategic decisions. The influence of top management team (TMT) characteristics, particularly gender diversity, on green innovation remains unclear. Drawing on gender difference and social identity theories, this study examines the curvilinear relationship between TMT gender diversity and green innovation among 2026 Chinese publicly listed manufacturing firms from 2011 to 2018. Through the use of fixed‐effects Poisson models to confirm our hypotheses, we uncover an inverted U‐shaped relationship between TMT gender diversity and green innovation. Furthermore, we delve into the contingent roles of individual, corporate, and industry factors affecting this primary relationship. Specifically, our findings reveal that the educational attainment of female executives and the strength of green industry innovation flatten the inverted U‐shaped curve between TMT gender diversity and green innovation, whereas state ownership steepen it. Our study resolves the inconsistencies found in previous research by integrating multiple theoretical perspectives and offers empirical insights into the role of women in shaping sustainable development in emerging markets.

Does top executive gender diversity matter for the value relevance of ESG controversies? Empirical evidence from European tech firms

Purpose Interest in environmental, social and governance (ESG) controversies is acquiring great relevance in the business and academic communities. Nonetheless, previous studies in the area have devoted little attention to how the market views ESG controversies. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to investigate whether ESG controversies are value-relevant to investors, as reflected in equity values. It also investigates whether top management team (TMT) gender diversity is likely to affect the association between ESG controversies and equity market values in the context of high-tech firms. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses a sample of high-tech firms listed on the STOXX 600 index during the period 2006–2022. The ESG data for the sample is retrieved from the Refinitiv Eikon database. This paper adopts a fixed-effect panel regression to test the hypotheses. Findings Based on the Ohlson’s (1995) valuation framework, the authors find evidence that ESG controversies are associated with a lower market valuation, suggesting that shareholders perceive ESG controversies as conveying negative information about future performance. The authors also find evidence that TMT gender diversity negatively moderates the relationship between ESG controversies and equity values, indicating that TMT gender diversity alleviates the detrimental effect of corporate controversies. These results remain consistent when using the return model of Easton and Harris (1991). Originality/value This paper throws more light on the economic consequences of ESG controversies in European high-tech firms. This is particularly important due to the increasing importance of ESG criteria in guiding investment choices. This paper also adds to the current literature by providing new evidence that the value-relevance of ESG controversies is affected by TMT gender diversity.

A balancing act: Independent and interdependent effects of board of directors and top management team gender composition on innovation

The demographic composition of a firm's Board of Directors (BoD) and Top Management Team (TMT) has important consequences for organizational processes and outcomes. However, researchers have focused on the independent effects of diversity in these strategic leadership groups (SLGs), foregoing how it affects their interactions. We adopt a strategic leadership system perspective to account for tasks that a firm's BoD and TMT perform independently, as well as shared tasks performed at their interface. Focusing on the innovation process as a context for strategic decision-making and implementation, we hypothesize inverted u-shaped associations for independent effects of BoD and TMT gender compositions on innovation inputs and TMT gender composition on outcomes. To account for interactions at their interface, we also propose moderating effects between BoD and TMT gender compositions on their relationships with innovation input and outcomes. We find support for our hypotheses within a panel of highly innovative U.S. firms between 2005 and 2018. These findings have important implications for strategic leadership and diversity researchers and may provide guidance on balancing the gender composition of SLGs at firms that pursue innovation.

Impact of gender composition of academic teams on disruptive output

Intergender collaboration is becoming increasingly common in academia. However, the impact of team gender structures on innovation remains unknown. Using data from the American Physical Society, this study applies the disruption index to measure the relationship between gender composition and innovation performance. The results show that compared with single-gender teams, moderate inter-gender collaboration has a greater potential to produce disruptive knowledge and must be adopted by scientific teams. Specifically, the types of innovation in mixed-gender teams are affected by the gender composition. If the proportion of female scholars and their participation increase in a mixed-gender team, it can positively contribute to disruptive performance. If female scientists are placed on a male-dominated team, they may function as consolidation representatives. The robustness results indicate that the conclusions also apply to male scientists. The results suggest that males and females have no significant physiological differences in innovation and that the key is to find a gender balance in collaboration. Based on the theories of similarity-attraction and cognitive diversity, the reasons for the differences between female and male scientists may be team atmosphere and their roles in collaboration. This study can serve as a reference for policymakers and funders when building teams to achieve disruptive discoveries.

Financing Organic Farming through Crowdfunding: Is the Wisdom of Crowds More Supportive for Mixed Gender Teams?

Financing Organic Farming through Crowdfunding: Is the Wisdom of Crowds More Supportive for Mixed Gender Teams?

Parent firm reputational risk and TMT gender diversity of foreign subsidiaries

In this study, we fill an important gap in the literature by examining the impact of parent firms’ reputational risk on subsidiary top management team gender diversity (TMTGD). Drawing on signalling theory and framing TMTGD as a nonmarket social and political strategy, we hypothesize that foreign subsidiaries use gender diversity in their upper echelons in response to increased parent firms’ reputational risk to signal a commitment to gender equality causes and socio-economic development in host countries. Analyzing data from publicly traded Chinese foreign subsidiaries, we found support for our hypothesis. We also found that the impact of parent reputational risk on subsidiary TMTGD is contingent on subsidiary primary activity, host-country institutional gender parity, and home-host country institutional distance. This study makes important contributions to the international business corpus, especially to reputational risk and nonmarket strategy literature domains.

Women in C-suite: Does Top Management Team gender diversity matter? Evidence from firm investment efficiency.

Women in C-suite: Does Top Management Team gender diversity matter? Evidence from firm investment efficiency.

Autistic Characteristics in a Nationally Representative Clinical Sample of Adolescents Seeking Medical Gender-Affirming Treatment in Norway.

Several studies have reported on the intersection of autism and gender incongruence (GI) in clinical populations. This study aims to investigate autistic characteristics and registered autism spectrum diagnoses (ASD) in a clinical cohort of 83 adolescents referred to the National Gender Team for Children and Adolescents in Norway during 2020. Parents completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Background information and registered psychiatric diagnoses were extracted from patient files. The results showed that 25% of the participants scored within the clinical range on the SRS: 27.4% of adolescents who were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 19.0% of adolescents who were assigned male at birth (AMAB). AFAB had significantly higher scores on SRS Total Scale and the Social Motivation and Autistic Mannerisms subscales compared to the female norm group. AMAB had higher scores on the Social Motivation subscale and lower scores on the Social Awareness subscale, compared to the male norm population. Information from patient files revealed that 67.5% had one or more registered psychiatric diagnosis. 9.6% had received an ASD diagnosis, all AFAB. 18.1% had received an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. The most common psychiatric diagnoses were depression (25.3%) and anxiety disorders (18.1%). Further, 44.6% had a history of self-harm, and 15.7% had a history of a suicide attempt. The results showed an overrepresentation of ASD diagnoses and autistic characteristics measured by SRS for AFAB. There was an overrepresentation of psychiatric diagnoses for both the AFAB and the AMAB group in this study sample. Implications for treatment and future research are discussed.

Team Membership Change Events: Processes That Support Gender Diverse Teams

Recent global events have triggered compositional changes in the workplace (e.g., intentional diversification and sudden team member removal). This study investigates whether team gender diversity and the novelty of membership changes moderate the relationship between team processes and performance. We found that development of team confidence plays a pivotal role in shaping performance through its influence on backup behavior. Moreover, gender-balanced teams were better at translating their confidence into backup behaviors, and teams experiencing reduced novelty during membership change events tend to leverage these behaviors more effectively, leading to enhanced overall performance. We explored several theoretical and practical implications.

Prioritizing preferred traits in the yam value chain in Nigeria: a gender situation analysis.

This study describes what did and did not work in the prioritization of preferred traits within the value chain of yam and associated food products (boiled and pounded yam) in Nigeria. Demand-led breeding protocols have enhanced participatory methods along gender lines to increase the clarity of information on the yam traits preferred by farmers and other end users. Drawing on the experience of the cross-cutting gender team at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, and partners, this study documents the successes and constraints in the use of gender-inclusive approaches for effective breeding. Methods in our gender studies involve critical assessment of the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research, with particular attention to measurement. Various techniques for data collection, such as interviews, observation, and archival studies, are assessed to locate their potential for constructing successful research projects. The methods used include participatory varietal selection, participatory plant breeding, focused discussions with farmer groups, value chain mapping, G+ tools, trait preferences (processing and consumption), triangulation of multi-disciplinary datasets, and social survey research. Yam production in southeast Nigeria is dominated by men, while women are the main processors. Gendered power play, access to resources, and decision-making have been found to constrain women's participation in yam production (and in yam research). Sex disaggregation was applied within the value chain studies to capture the complementarity and differences in the perceptions of women and men. The methods used facilitated the development and release to farmers in 2023 of three improved yam varieties with consumer-preferred characteristics such as high yield, high dry matter content, white tubers, and good boiling and pounding capability. The success stories also show that effective communication and cooperation within the gender cross-cutting team and farmer groups are important for better results. When gender specialists, food scientists, and breeders work together, innovations are created, challenges are overcome, and information is shared.

Girls in the combined cadet force: a qualitative exploration of the impact of their experiences on their graduate employability skills

PurposeEvery year several thousand female cadets participate in the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) in the UK, but little is known about the impact that this experience has on the subsequent employability of the female cadets. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of academic teenage girls from one all-female unit of their participation in CCF and the personal benefit or otherwise in relation to their ultimate employability.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of 10 young women who had participated in CCF for at least three years. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis.FindingsParticipants were effusive about the transformative effects of CCF in relation to personal confidence, recognising transferable skills and raising personal aspiration, all key elements to employability, particularly for women. They also considered they had gained future workplace advantage having had opportunity to trial leadership strategies in mixed gender teams, an experience unavailable elsewhere to them. Loyalty to the contingent pervaded every discussion and the importance of team goals, although this level of selfless commitment may be detrimental to employability, subsuming their personal interests to the greater good.Originality/valueResearch into the benefit or otherwise of teenage girls' extra-curricular activities is scarce, and this is the first study, to the authors' knowledge, that explores the perceptions of the impact their time in CCF had on their graduate employability skills.